Hasta La Ideas

Have a few million dollars to spare but not the kind of Robert A.M. Stern money where you can get the architect to build you something entirely new? Well you’re in luck, as this Charles Gwathmey-designed apartment at 1185 Park Avenue has just been put on the market. The legendary architect, who passed away last year (making it difficult for even Stern to hire him now), designed the apartment in the early 1990s, building it for Carol and Alan Pomerantz in the very tony pre-war coop. The NY Times has a great profile on the apartment, including information on the process of the family working with Gwathmey to design the place to, according to the listing, “a sixteenth of an inch, with the precision of a watch,” going as far as even asking the Pomerantz’s about their shoe sizes so he could customize the closets, making sure everything fit just-so. The price for the recently updated apartment is a cool $5.75 million, so if that’s in your budget, make your move.

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London Design Festival 2010: designer Paul Cocksedge installed sheets of Corian as though fluttering around a hallway at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London for one day during the London Design Festival last week.

Called A Gust of Wind, the piece featured 300 curled pieces of Corian engraved with the words “Ideas Tray” and a series number.

At the end of the day they were given away to partners of the project and members of the public for use as paper trays.

See all our stories about the London Design Festival »

Photographs are by Mark Cocksedge.

The information that follows is from Paul Cocksedge:

A GUST OF WIND – An installation by Paul Cocksedge Studio for the London Design Festival.

24th September 2010 18:30-22h:00 London Design Festival V&A, Friday Late Event

Three hundred curvaceous pieces of Corian® will be exhibited for one day only as part of the V&A’s Friday Late Programme. The ‘pages’, which will be given away during the event, represent a stack of paper that has been blown into the air by a gust of wind. Each of these limited edition pieces is engraved and then handmade by Paul Cocksedge. They will function as paper trays, becoming a place for wandering paper to gather.

This installation is made possible through collaboration with the London Design Festival, V&A and DuPontTM Corian®.

Paul Cocksedge Studio is the internationally acclaimed design practice of partners Joana Pinho and Paul Cocksedge, based in London. The studio undertakes in-house design, commissions and consultancy work for a range of clients and sectors. Production ranges from bespoke manufacturing to licensing technologies. The Studio is dedicated to the creation of sophisticated, cutting edge products and installations.

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Drop by Paul Cocksedge	Framed by Stuart Haygarth at the V&A	More stories about London Design Festival

After numerous failed redevelopment attempts from various owners, Battersea Power Station is now on the ‘buildings at risk’ register. Photographer Peter Dazeley set out to document the legendary building as part of a personal project…

“It seems so sad that such a magnificent building has ended up in its present state,” says Dazeley, “and this series of photographs give a taste of its former splendour.” While photographing the site, Dazeley also realised that it has now become a sanctuary for all sorts of wildlife: pigeons, foxes, and peregrine falcons have all set up home there.

The series started out as a personal project recording the building’s decline but the results – which can be seen on his website – are also set to feature in this week’s Mail on Sunday Live magazine.

More at peterdazeley.com.

After several years of using David Rockwell to design the elaborate annual production, the Academy Awards will be trying something new next year. The Academy has announced that instead of Rockwell, who was also the architect behind the Kodak Theater where the Oscars are held each year, they have hired Steve Bass as their next production designer. Bass’ career highlights include designing sets for the last Emmy Awards (as well as several others in the past), collaborating on “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial,” and working with the Tony Awards. Here’s from the Oscars’ producers, Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer:

“I have collaborated with Steve several times, and he’s the perfect person for this year’s Oscars,” said Mischer. “He’s an innovative, creative talent who I know will do justice to the tradition and glamour of the Academy Awards.”

“Don and I knew right away that Steve would be the absolute best partner to bring our vision to life in terms of the production design of the Oscar show,” said Cohen. “He is truly a master at designing for high-profile, grand-scale events.”

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